Author: Steven Bolden

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Truth Sessions (Part 2) – Real doesn’t equal truth…

Deuteronomy 13:1-4

” If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.”

One of my daughter’s LOVES these beans her grandmother makes that they call Paw Paw’s beans.  She will not eat any beans except her grandmother’s Paw Paw beans.  I tried many time unsuccessfully to get her to eat the beans I made so in a last desperate attempt I contacted MeeMaw and asked for the recipe.  She said “Steven, it is just a can of Ranch Style beans.”  So, I proceeded to get some Ranch Style beans and served them for dinner.  My daughter takes one bite and I can see her eyes light up for a brief minute.  I took the opportunity to exclaim “Paw Paw’s beans…BAM!”.  She put her spoon down and looked at me with a solemn look and said “No, this isn’t it.  MeeMaw didn’t make them.”

I presented her with the reality of her Paw Paw’s bean. They looked like them, smelled like them, and even tasted like them but she was locked into the ultimate truth which was that what comes from MeeMaw’s kitchen is what’s real.  Wow, she gets it.   Just because it is real and tangible doesn’t make it the truth. There is a truth, God’s truth.  Anything in front of you that points you away from God or is contrary to His teachings (the Bible) is just a can of Ranch Style beans…

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Posting beyond the “Like”…

Life can be so heavy and burdensome.  The weight of responsibilities can be too much to bear.  The pain and evil in this world can seem relentless.  I’ve noticed a trend where people are now only posting positive things to stem the tide of negativity and provide a brief respite from the craziness.  Posting for the “like” is what I call it.  The problem is that the “like” is brief and you find yourself scrolling and scrolling looking for more “likes” never really finding the rest we are seeking.  I recently had a very discouraging bit of news about a ministry activity I was involved in where what I shared about Gospel didn’t stick.  In the midst of my pouting God impressed on me “you did all that to get the Like”.

Deuteronomy 12:9-10 NIV

” 9 since you have not yet reached the resting place and the inheritance the LORD your God is giving you.

10 But you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and he will give you rest from all your enemies around you so that you will live in safety.”

This instruction from the OT was to the Israelites in crossing over into the promised land.  This rest or easing of life’s burdens as told in chapter 11 (v. 18-20) comes through complete faith in and relentless meditation on God. Not in ourselves. No measure of cute post about puppies or unicorns, self help quotes, or inner strength statements to garner “likes” will give us the rest, the life easing balm we so desperately seek.  “Likes” change moods. “Life” which is only found through complete faith in and total obedience to God will bring us into His rest.  We must go beyond getting the “like” to giving the “life”.

 

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Truth Sessions (Part 1) – People don’t go to hell for not believing in Jesus…

The God of the Universe, the creator of all, is so powerful and grand yet will send His creation to hell for not believing in His son???  Through the ears of non-Christians that makes God seem rather petty.  To be honest, I can’t say that I disagree. Yet, this very message is spouted from the pulpit, the pews, out on the streets, and in the mission fields and it couldn’t be more wrong!

Revelation 20: 12-15 (NIV)

“12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

John the apostle was very clear in the above passage that people are judged by their deeds and punished, or sent to hell, based on them.  The Bible states that no one is righteous on their own. Every one has sinned (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:10).  Because of this our deeds are evil.  All men and women have broken God’s moral law and the punishment for such an infraction is eternal separation from God or hell in other words.  Sin is the problem. Not believing is Jesus doesn’t send people to hell.  Sin does.

Just as a judge has the prerogative to grant a pardon to whomever they wish, God has exercised His holy prerogative by sending His son, Jesus, to pay the punishment for human’s sin.  Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection is God’s pardon offer.  This offer is the only way to get into Heaven (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

This is a very important distinction.  If you don’t understand that and sign on to Christianity under any other pretenses (i.e. to get blessings) you will feel like you were sold a bill of goods.  That is how Christianity gets a bad rap and it all starts with the message. As rough and sobering as it is, it must be told. We all are sinners, we can not do enough good on our own so we are damned, yet God is gracious and He offered us a pardon…that pardon is Jesus!

Either Jesus can pay for your sin or you can.  It’s that simple.

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Ok…what now?

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A very popular and effective tactic in evangelism is to ask the person the question “If you were to die tonight are you sure you would go to Heaven?”  Now let’s say that the person accepts Jesus as their savior and they happen to wake up the next morning.  What are they supposed to do?

Matthew 28:19-20 

19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always , even to the end of the age.”

In this passage, famously known as the Great Commission, Jesus is speaking to the Apostles right before His ascension.  He provides clear instruction as to what His followers are to do until He returns.  Asking the “If you were to die tonight…” question is not bad as we are to be concerned with their soul.  But that question alone is missing the mark.  A second question should be asked as well which is “If you don’t die tonight, what will you do with your life?”  Jesus didn’t command Christians to gain supporters for Him.  He commands Christians to make Disciples for Him.  The Church is filled with many more people who believe that Jesus is Lord than those who believe in Jesus as Lord.

Do you agree?

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a church with a view…

 

wpid-wp-1420523760583.jpegIt seems like every other day I see an article or blog post talking about how more than ever people are walking away from church or the faith.  Various reasons are cited yet I will not focus on these reasons because they are no the true reasons for this departure from faith.  They are rationalizations to help people explain their actions.  The true reason is far more simplistic.  A recent poll by the Barna group found that 19% of American adults that profess to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ also have a Biblical worldview.  That percentage drops to less than 1% of young adults (18-29 yrs of age) of believers that have a Biblical worldview.  Now view those figures in light of the fact that 77% (approx. 247 million) of Americans profess to be Christians.

To give perspective to those figures, the Barna survey defined a “biblical worldview” was as believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today.

Gypsy Smith, a famous European evangelist,  once said “There are five gosples: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the Christian.  Most people will never read the first four.”  Based on the statistic listed above, the “most people” in this quote I believe include the vast majority of professing Christ followers.  It is as if many turned to Christ in a reflex reaction to an alter call as a means to solve an immediate problem in their lives. Although Jesus can certainly solve any issue in our lives, His death and resurrection was to solve THE problem of our ultimate demise which was eternal damnation.  Coming to Christ for any reason short of that reason leaves open the validity of your conversion.  It leaves open the posssibility to hold to a Non-Biblical worldview while clinging to the notion that Jesus saves.

To believe that Jesus died for your sins means you realize you are sinner in need of a Savior. That means you believe the Bible which tells the story of Jesus and His teachings. If you beleive His teachings then you believe the truths revealed in His teachings.  If you believe the truths that He taught then you would have a Biblical worldview.  If you don’t have a Biblical worldview a domino fell somewhere in the chain and you are left plugging in the world’s beliefs to complete your belief system.

If we as Christians don’t believe what we say we believe, how do we expect the world to believe?

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Which story do you believe (Part 4)

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Isaiah 45:5 NIV
“I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me”

In context this Old Testament verse was written to the Isrealites but the story it tells extends to all humanity.  This story is rich and gives a precious insight to who God really is.  Even though we fail to acknowlege and appreciate it, God says He strengthens and equips us.  When we rise in the morning God says it is I who provides you the strength to do so.  When we succeed at our job and get that promotion God says it is I who equiped you will the ability to do so.  When we do good for others God says it is I who provided the means for you to do so. God’s love for humanity and His common grace is at work 24/7.  Do you believe that?  Or do you believe the world’s story that we pull ourselves up from our bootstraps?

My oldest daughter came home from her first symester at college to spend Christmas with us. I asked her what were some of the things she learned being on her own for the first time.  The first thing she said was “I finally started to realize all the things you and mom had done for me.”  At that moment I wanted to give her everything her heart desired.  How much more would our heavenly Father want to bless us if we would just acknowledge Him?  How much more could our heavenly Father bless us if we would just achnowledge Him?

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

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Which story do you believe (Part 3)

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Isaiah 43:7
“Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”

You and I were made to worship God.  We are created for His pleasure.  This is the story the Bible teaches about our purpose for living.  What a constrast to the prevailing thought about our lives’ purpose. What story do you subscribe to in finding your life’s meaning?  Is it climbing the corporate ladder and being a sucess? Is growing your business your life’s ambition? Is it raising your kids to be the best they possibly can be?  These “purposes” in and of themselves are not bad, they are just mis-categorized.  They are not purposes at all.  They are means by which you are to fulfill your true purpose which is to please God.  Being a Godly co-worker, raising your kids in a God fearing manner, running your business in a Christ like fashion.  In all arenas making God’s pleasure your focus rather than your own personal fulfillment.

Interesting fact: The Self Help industry is a 10 billion dollar industry (in the US alone).  Bibles are free.  Believing in stories other than God’s story will cost you.  Not only in this life but also for eternity (II Cor. 5:10).

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Which story do you believe? (Part 2)

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John 19: 28-30 NIV

28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

When Jesus said “It is finished.” He was telling a story. Do you believe it? Or do you believe the many other stories? Stories like:

“I need to clean myself up before I come to Christ”
“I am a self made (wo)man”
“I’m a good person”
“I know how best to live my life”
“I’ve sinned too much. God can’t forgive me”
“There are many ways to heaven”

I could go on and on. Everyday, multiple times a day we are faced with alternate stories. When Jesus said “It is finished”. He meant it. Carrying around guilt and shame for the wrong you have done. Jesus said…It is finished! I took that for you. Trying to figure out life with self help books and seminars. Jesus said…It is finished! I am the light unto your path. Jesus’ story doesn’t have an end. His story is eternal life. What does your story end with?

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Which story do you believe? (Part 1)

Our lives are inundated with stories. All day and all night stories are in the news, stories at the work place, at the grocery store, in the department store. We can’t escape them and it is the ones we believe that determine our behavior. The weather person paints a picture of sunny skies all day yet that old pain in your joints tells you there is rain coming. Which do you believe? Which ever one you do will determine how you dress for the day. Or your doctor tells you that your blood sugar levels are too high and you need to reduce carbs and sugar in your diet. Yet that Krispy Kreme commercial tells you there is no harm in stopping by when the Hot Light is on and partaking of a half dozen right of the oven glazed donuts. Which do you believe? Which ever one you do will determine how you manage your health. You see we live our lives based on which stories we believe.

The most important verse in the Bible, Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”, tells a story. The question is do you believe it? Or do you believe the world’s story? If you do believe Genesis 1:1 then do you live your life as if you believe it? When you believe the weather forecast you also believe the high temp, the low temp, the pollen count, and the 10 day outlook. You believe it all…dress accordingly, adjust your activities, and even begin to take allergy medicine if the forecast indicates a high pollen count. If you believe Genesis 1:1, do you believe the rest of the Bible? Do you adjust your living, your thinking, or your outlook according?

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Why I’ve left the Left…

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Over the past year or so I’ve packed my ideological bags and have taken a journey.  The road has been narrow at times, steep at times, muddy at times, an full of forks.  Although I am still traveling there is one thing I know for sure.  I started on the Left but I will not be returning there.  The currancy which I have will not afford the trip back there.  As a Christian I have subscribed to God’s economy. YWHW’s economy to be exact so not to confuse which god I speak of.

There are many reasons for my decision but the one I will focus on is a highly charged one.  As a human we all have rights.  Every right has a positive and negative side to the equation.  For example, I have a right to be happy.  Being happy to me means living.  Living is a positive.  But in order for me to have my happiness and live it means that others must aquiesce to my right by not killing me.  To give me my happiness it requires a negative burden on other.  Now lets take the example of human’s right to water.  I have a right to water.  Even if I don’t have a dime to pay for it, it is still my right to have it.   Any sensible person would agree that in this case I need assistance in order to pay and receive my right to water.  Now from the Lefty’s point of view, which I will call The World’s economy, that assistance should be provided by the Government.  Well, in order for the Government to provide me assistance it requires resources.  To obtain these resourcing it turns to the society which it governs.  It does this in the form of taxes.  So in order for me to have my right which is a positive, a negative burden is placed on the government.  The government then places a negative burden on society since it’s ability to provide is limited or depenent on society.  Now society has to give up their right to use their resources as they choose in order for me to have my right to water.

This example is a classic one on how the World’s economy works.  Now let’s play this out in God’s economy.  Mark 6 gives a great picture of how His economy works.  In the feeding of the multitudes the apostles appeal to Jesus to feed the thousands of people because they had nothing or very little to do it themselves.  Jesus responded to their plee by saying “You feed them”.  Take what little you have and feed them and I will take care of the rest.  So they did and the result was that all were fed with lots of left overs.

Here is the difference.  In the World’s economy we depend on others (the Government) to provide for those in need.  The need is great so the Goverment has to grow.  Yet the Goverment doesn’t have an endless supply so it turns to society to fund it’s machine.  This vicious cycle never ends because the needs are never fully met.  In God’s economy, we as Christians meet the needs and depend on God to supply.  God has no limit, God is the eternal supply.  There is no negative burden placed on anyone.  There is only positive.  The needy are blessed by us, we are blessed by God, and God is glorified.  This is a foundational Christian concept that can be applied across all needs whether is be physical, mental, or emotional.

As a Christian I must subscribe to God’s economy.  YHWY’s economy.  That is why I’ve left the Left…